Swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography in serpiginous choroiditis

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Serpiginous choroiditis (SC) is an inflammatory condition affecting the choroid.
• Understanding the vascular changes in SC is crucial for diagnosis and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze choroidal vascular density in active and inactive serpiginous choroiditis (SC) lesions using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A).
• To compare vascular density in affected areas, lesion borders, and unaffected retina.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, observational study included 22 eyes from 11 SC patients.
• Swept-source OCT-A was used to assess choroidal vascular density and qualitative features.
• Blue-light fundus autofluorescence was also performed.

Main Results:

• Active SC lesions showed complete absence of decorrelation signal in the choriocapillaris and choroid.
• Inactive lesions exhibited choriocapillaris atrophy and impaired flow.
• Pathological borders of SC lesions had significantly lower choroidal vascular density compared to unaffected areas (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• OCT-A is a valuable tool for visualizing and quantifying vascular network changes in active and inactive SC.
• The study highlights significant reductions in choroidal vascular density associated with SC lesions.